Chapter 207: Chapter 195: The Dagger is Revealed (Part 2)
"That’s right. The Warlords’ methods are utterly despicable. With our strength, we could easily secure an official post and thrive within their factions if we were willing. So why do we still eke out a living in the cracks? It’s because we refuse to kneel! Jinmen is a pure land for us, the civilian Martial Dao practitioners of the Divine Land. If this pure land is lost, the Warlords will turn their sights on us next."
"Three Elders, rest assured. We came to Jinmen to participate in the tournament precisely because we couldn’t stand by and watch. No one sitting here today will back down."
"..."
The experts who had come from all over spoke up one after another in the conference room.
In reality, when the grand martial tournament was announced, the first to react were the various Warlords. They explicitly forbade the numerous civilian martial arts forces under their control from participating. As a result, those who could make it to Jinmen to compete were essentially independent of any Warlord faction, representing the true civilian Martial Dao lineages.
In an era like this, all the Martial Artist factions that had maintained their independence and refused to yield to the Warlords now stood united.
The Jinmen Martial Arts Association is the representative of the Divine Land’s civilian Martial Arts Realm. With the Martial Arts Association present, the major Warlords find it difficult to completely control the situation in Jinmen, making it a haven for the civilian Martial Arts Realm—a true Martial Arts Capital.
Once the Martial Arts Association collapses and the eight major Warlords and the Neon Influence have their way, the next to suffer will inevitably be these unyielding civilian lineages.
Those who could kneel already did. Only those who couldn’t have gathered here.
"Everyone, we are all on the same path. The Warlords want to completely control the civilian Martial Dao and recreate the state of the old Dynasties—it’s a regression of history! The Neon Nation wants to break the momentum of our Divine Land’s Martial Dao, an act of equally predatory ambition. As Martial Artists of the Divine Land, how can we just stand by and watch? This time, we will join forces and carve out a new sky for the Martial Dao of the Divine Land."
"A strong martial arts makes a strong nation; a prosperous martial arts makes a prosperous people. If we wish to avoid being bullied, we can only rely on ourselves. Let us all strive together," the Heavenly Elder said in a deep voice.
"Together!"
"Together!"
"..."
Everyone present roared in agreement, their expressions grim.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Just then, the conference room doors flew open, and several staff members from the Martial Arts Association hurried inside, their faces fraught with anxiety.
"Everyone, the other side has made their move! The businesses belonging to the Martial Arts Association and its many directors have all run into trouble at the same time. The port was attacked, transport routes have been blocked, and cargo has been seized. If we don’t respond, our losses will be catastrophic. At that point, it’s hard to say whether the directors will continue to support us."
One of the staff members, holding a stack of documents, handed them to the Three Elders with a solemn expression.
"Just as we expected. The main force behind this is the Neon Consulate, with the Vermilion Bird Sect, Beidou Sect, and Divine Night Sect leading the charge. The other Warlords and the Five Nations merely pulled some strings," the Human Elder said grimly after quickly reading through the documents.
This move was within their expectations. Trying to seize someone under the protection of the Martial Arts Association was no simple task. The Martial Arts Association had operated in Jinmen for many years and its roots ran deep. It was supported by numerous directors and had amassed a large number of experts willing to follow its orders. Furthermore, the grand martial tournament had pushed the Association into the spotlight, and most of the Martial Artists who had gathered could be mobilized by it.
Under these circumstances, a direct assault was not feasible. A sneak attack or assassination would also be extremely difficult, as they would be within the Three Elders’ range of Sensing and under heavy guard. As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. The Warlords’ inability to completely control Jinmen wasn’t just due to the alliances between various domestic factions.
Therefore, if their enemies were to act, it would have to be a major operation. The first step was to target the businesses of the Martial Arts Association and its directors, aiming to weaken the forces the Martial Arts Association Headquarters could mobilize.
"Immediately mobilize our forces to provide support. And everyone, it’s time to act," the Earth Elder said grimly. The Martial Arts Association’s own businesses could be temporarily ignored, absorbing the immense damage and toughing it out. But the directors were a different matter. Without their support, the Martial Arts Association would cease to be what it was. It couldn’t possibly ignore the interests of its directors just to protect one person. Doing so would surely cause a massive backlash.
"This is just a diversionary tactic. The enemies are not weak, but they won’t be overwhelmingly strong either. We need you all to head out and lend your strength. There’s no need to fight to the death. Just do your best to disrupt their operations and tie up their personnel," the Heavenly Elder said. The people in the room nodded with grave expressions. The Three Elders then began to assess the risks based on the intelligence reports and assign manpower accordingly.
Intelligence reports continued to pour in, and people were continuously dispatched from the conference room. A fleet of pre-arranged cars transported the personnel to various locations throughout Jinmen.
And all of this was observed by the spies of the various factions, who quickly reported back.
This was a massive game of chess.
To the city’s residents, there might not be any fireworks, but in the shadows, a furious tide was already surging.
Although the forces of the Neon Nation, the Great Powers, and the eight major Warlords were strong, even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake. The various civilian Martial Arts Sects of Jinmen had gathered, and if they coordinated and mobilized together, their power could not be underestimated.
However, this didn’t mean the situation was optimistic.
After all, a mighty dragon was still a mighty dragon.
As time went on, fewer and fewer experts remained in the conference room. Eventually, under the pressure of the situation, even the Seven General Stars were dispatched by the Three Elders.
"At this rate, the headquarters will be short on manpower," Lu Yuanxiang said with a frown.
Besides him and the Three Elders, only Zhao Yuan, Zhao Xuanqi, Zhou Yu, and a few others remained in the conference room—no more than eight people in total.
"Have you all forgotten about me?"
Just then, a deep, thick voice came from outside the conference room. A tall figure then pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
He had a head of messy hair, a resolute face, and a powerful aura.
It was none other than the successor of the Celestial Dragon Extreme Breakthrough, Xiang Ji.
"Xiang Ji?!"
Everyone was slightly surprised to see Xiang Ji. After his match, his injuries had been so severe that he had nearly died. However, with the recovery ability of an expert of his caliber, it wasn’t a problem to heal in a short time, as long as he had a sufficient supply of Wound Medicine like the Golden Willow Jade Liquid.
What was truly serious was the psychological trauma inflicted upon Xiang Ji by the defeat in his last battle.
It was said that he had been unconscious in bed for a full day and night and had not woken up. Originally, no one had considered him part of their battle roster. Unexpectedly, he had now appeared on his own.
Everyone could clearly sense an indescribable change in Xiang Ji.
Before, his aura had been like a pillar of wolf smoke, incredibly ostentatious, wild, and domineering, drawing everyone’s attention.
But now, his aura was restrained and no longer ostentatious. Yet, it lacked the dejection and timidity of a loser unable to escape his own shadow. Instead, it held a different kind of confidence.
What was most striking were his eyes.
Originally, he had Heavy Pupils, a result of the Celestial Dragon Extreme Breakthrough cultivation technique. But now, his Heavy Pupils seemed to have merged, and one could hardly notice anything unusual without looking closely.
"Your eyes..." Zhao Yuan said, slightly astonished.
"While I was unconscious, I dreamed my way back to ancient times and saw the Overlord. I came to understand many things. From now on, the Heavy Pupils are his, not mine."
Xiang Ji spoke calmly, walked over to a chair, and sat down commandingly. He continued, "How could I be left out of something like this? I will reclaim everything I lost from the humiliation I suffered last time."
"Good. It seems you’ve truly grown."
A slight smile touched Zhao Xuanqi’s lips as he looked at Xiang Ji. He could clearly sense the change in him.
"I also have you to thank for what you said back then. You were right. One who is crushed by a single defeat can hardly be called an Overlord."
Xiang Ji nodded at Zhao Xuanqi. He didn’t say "thank you," but everything was understood without words.
A hint of joy also appeared on the faces of Lu Yuanxiang and the others. Xiang Ji’s return at this moment meant his strength would be extremely important.
Time continued to pass. A full half-hour went by, and as the sky gradually dimmed, no new requests for reinforcements came in.
"It seems this is it for now. The main show is about to begin. Let’s go. We’ll enter the Heaven-Locking Array and await the arrival of our ’honored guests’."
The Heavenly Elder slowly rose to his feet and led the group toward the courtyard behind the Martial Arts Association Headquarters.
At the same time, outside the Martial Arts Association Headquarters, several groups of people stood silently in different locations, watching the Association from afar.
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